Maggie Dye

Although I’ve spent a few posts discussing what fostering adult dogs is like, it seems about time to talk about puppies! Over the last few years, my family has fostered about a dozen puppies, which is in part because they tend to have a smaller window of time that they need to be fostered for. But don’t be fooled: even though they stay for a shorter period of time, it surely is not any easier to give them up (or take care of them)!

The first puppy I fostered was a little brown dog named Boss Hog, or Boss for short. An obscure name, I know, but our rescue likes to name every puppy litter based on a theme or TV show. This litter was named after the Dukes of Hazzard, a show from the 80’s, and oddly enough, the name actually suited him. He was small but mighty, and he loved being around our big dogs. Another thing about fostering puppies is that it’s more feasible to foster them when you have other dogs at home (as opposed to fostering an adult dog when you have other big dogs). 

There are a few key facts to know before fostering a puppy: they need to be potty-trained, they need a lot of attention, and they need a lot of naps. Potty training might be the hardest part; waking up in the middle of the night to let a little dog outside is surely a mental battle, and cleaning accidents up is a whole other story. 

As for the last two facts, the attention-nap ratio is a fine line. Puppies need to be loved and attended to, but they also need “crate training.” This allows them to be comfortable being in crates when they’re older rather than viewing it as a scary place. When our puppies would go too long without a nap, they would get super overstimulated, and that’s when we would give them “crate time” to calm them down and let them take a nap. Making sure puppies have enough time both resting in their crate and being outside is crucial for their social health.

I’d often joke that in some ways, fostering a puppy is similar to raising a baby. The only difference is that as soon as they start to get the hang of behaving themselves, they’re adopted. Most puppies stay for about a month or so, but it really depends on when they can be neutered/spayed. Our rescue requires this procedure for all of their dogs because it helps to minimize the stray dog crisis (the very problem that creates the need for fostering.) Once the puppies are fixed and recovered from surgery, they are eligible for adoption.

Having a puppy in the house changes quite a bit of things: your sleep schedule, your free time, and how your dogs interact with each other. However, after having so many of them in the house, I can safely say that the chaos is so worth it! It’s so rewarding to watch a little untrained puppy grow into a slightly more mature puppy, and seeing them all grown up on facebook when they’re older might be the cutest thing ever. For people who have enough free time on their hands to be at home with a dog but don’t want to foster an adult one long-term, fostering puppies is a great option!

How could anyone surrender a dog? Although extreme, dog surrenders are much more common than you may imagine. In working with a dog rescue, dogs constantly come in having been abandoned by their owners. What’s a bit less common is seeing a dog that was already adopted from the rescue come back because they were surrendered.

Unfortunately, this was exactly the case for Orzo. Initially, he came to our dog rescue as a 4 month old in August of 2019. Right off the bat, we noticed that he was an energetic and quirky dog. He loved to be outside and sometimes had trouble settling down, but was sweet and adorable. My family fostered him for a month or so, as was typical of younger dogs before adoption.

The woman interested in him was extremely enthusiastic about adopting him, and although her life was busy, many adopters can work around that to care for a dog. She also acknowledged that he was high-energy and required lots of attention. When she adopted Orzo, she was so excited that she dressed him in bowties and even made an instagram account dedicated to him.

Despite this initial eagerness to have a dog, Orzo stayed with her for less than a year when she came into contact with our rescue that she could no longer care for him. Although she had legitimate reasons for being unable to look after him, surrenders can be seriously traumatizing for animals. At baseline, Orzo struggled with socialization due to his high energy, and being in a home where he could not be cared for was unsustainable. As a result, Orzo was returned.

My family fostered Orzo after he came back in April of 2020, which was a new experience for us. Although strange and saddening, it was exciting to see a previous foster dog that we thought we’d never see again. He stayed with us throughout the summer, where we spent a lot of time watching movies and staying indoors due to COVID quarantine measures. Although Orzo still struggled with some anxiety and attention issues, he eventually received another adoption offer from a family that could stay home with him more frequently.

To this day, Orzo lives with his second adopters, who were able to address all of his needs and provide a home for him. Ultimately, Orzo’s story displays the complexities behind adoption and the issues that can arise from surrendering a dog. Adopting a pet is a serious commitment, so much so that our rescue bans people from adopting their dogs if they ever surrender one. Before considering adoption, ask yourself if you are being realistic. Can you be around to give them love and attention? Will they have ample time with humans or dogs rather than being locked in their crate? If these answers are no, it is wise to refrain from seeking a pet in order to minimize the emotional damage that ensues from abandonment.

Given previous posts on my other two dogs, it seems about time to dedicate a post to the final foster fail in my household: Miso! Miso arrived at my dog rescue with her brother after being referred by a local shelter as strays, and funnily enough, Miso was not our foster dog originally. My family met her because the couple that had been fostering her traveled frequently for work, and the little puppy needed a place to stay when they would leave. The first time we watched her, we joked about keeping her because she was adorable and got along with our dogs so well; however, the second time we looked after her, it was apparent that her foster family at the time was not a great match for her. 

Similar to most foster stories, her’s was a bit of a rough start. Miso arrived from the shelter with a swollen foot, showing signs of obvious discomfort and pain. Furthermore, the fact that her foster family’s work necessitated so much travel meant that Miso would spend long periods of time in her crate, causing discomfort in her foot as well as emotional isolation. While the couple reported that Miso would cry frequently at their home, she was happy as a clam whenever being watched by my family. This led us to believe that Miso thrived in a household less dependent on crates and more socially involved with other dogs. We also noticed that her paw appeared to be worsening every time we saw her.

The culmination of these circumstances led Miso to become our official foster puppy. When she moved in, it was as though she had won the golden ticket; it was hard to believe she was ever sad in her other foster home because of how energetic she was around us. She would have a blast hanging around our other dogs, and would often avoid her crate, opting for our couch instead. Overall, Miso fit right in with us! As happy as she was, though, her paw problems persisted. It seemed to be her equivalent of an Achilles’ heel because her toe bothered her whenever she walked. 

Ultimately, the doctor actually recommended amputation for her injured toe. Although it was sad to see Miso exhausted after surgery in her surgical cone (commonly referred to as the cone of shame), the amputation had a speedy recovery that ended up being beneficial for her. Her paw healed within a few weeks, and she didn’t let it stop her from being the silly and active dog that she was. After going through this much with Miso, though, my family began to consider officially adopting her. Although it would mean taking care of another adult dog, I personally was a strong advocate for keeping Miso. Given the history she had with other dog owners, it seemed like a sign from the universe that she would stay with us instead. 

In the end, it did not take much convincing to get my parents to agree! Miso has been our dog for two years now, and her story illustrates the importance of the environment a dog is placed in given their personality type. While some dogs may be suited for long periods of crate time, dogs like Miso prefer to have more social interactions and the ability to roam a bit. Today, I can’t imagine our household without our three dogs; they’re like The Powerpuff Girls!

When most people see my dog Daphne, their first question is “why is she wearing a diaper?” While the sight of a big pitbull in a diaper is a little unusual, this is an everyday reality for Daphne, my family’s second adopted foster dog. When my family picked up Daphne as a foster puppy in 2021, we had no idea about the future we would have together. Daphne lived with her sister at a local humane society, and we signed up to foster her under the assumption that she would be with us for a short period of time, like most foster puppies. However, immediately upon meeting her, we noticed that her stomach was quite bloated, and she had trouble controlling her bladder. Although having accidents in the house is typical for puppies, Daphne’s case seemed distinctly different. Ironically, the humane society had given her the name “tinkles” prior to her being renamed!

Upon taking her to the vet, it was discovered that Daphne was born with a rare defect known as an ectopic ureter. Ureters, which connect from the kidney to the bladder, have the job of draining urine; however, ectopic ureters do not attach to the bladder as they normally should. This results in incontinence in dogs because the urine from the kidneys drains directly out. This diagnosis explained why Daphne seemed to have a “leaky” bladder. At the vet, they also discovered that she had issues with parasites, which was the cause of the bloating in her stomach. You could say that Daphne had a few things going on with her health at the time.

After these findings, we started putting diapers on Daphne to minimize the leaking. While the issues with parasites were absolved quickly, treating an ectopic ureter involves a surgical procedure. As a result, our rescue seeked out an expert on the condition in dogs, which proved difficult because it is so rare in veterinary medicine. For this reason, taking Daphne to get the surgery entailed commuting several hours away to find someone to do it. 

Despite these difficulties, Daphne eventually underwent the surgery. While there were no complications in the surgery, it ultimately did not have much of an effect on the leakage. At that point, my family had been fostering Daphne for months, and it was safe to say that we were attached to her (as the story always goes.) As a result, we began to question if letting her be adopted by a new family was the right thing for her, given her specific needs. Finding the right match for a foster dog can already be challenging, but this is often even more difficult for dogs with special accommodations.

Ultimately, my family foster failed Daphne! Due to the fact that we already loved her so much and because we did not know if her ectopic ureter would ever be completely treated, we decided that keeping her was the best course of action. This year, Daphne is turning four, and we have no regrets about adopting her permanently. While we have taken her to various experts for follow-up scans and procedures in addition to her daily medicine, Daphne still has to wear a diaper due to her condition. Aside from getting annoyed at having to wear diapers in order to lay on the couch, Daphne is quite the happy camper! She’s extremely energetic, loving, and very fond of giving people “kisses” or jumping on people out of excitement. Daphne’s story illustrates how medical conditions can make dog fostering a bit complicated, but how there is a loving home for every dog regardless of their needs!

Sources:

Weir, Malcolm, and Catherine Barnette. “Ectopic Ureters in Dogs.” VCA Animal Hospitals, vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ectopic-ureters-in-dogs#:~:text=An%20ectopic%20ureter%20is%20an,so%20there%20are%20two%20ureters. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.